Hundreds of senior officials, military leaders and citizens followed to pay their respects. Outside the palace, thousands of North Korean soldiers lined up in neat rows on a sunny but cold day, listening to speeches praising the Kim family.

Later, the new leader and other officials watched as a parade of soldiers marched by, followed by military vehicles and trucks carrying artillery guns and rocket launchers. Fireworks exploded, military music boomed and people waved artificial pink and red flowers.

Since Kim Jong Il's funeral nearly two months ago, North Korea's leadership and state media have cast him as a strong but benevolent leader, while praising Kim Jong Un as the unquestioned choice to succeed him in this socialist nation of 24 million.

Events included an international skating show and a synchronised swimming show. Both opened with mournful odes to Kim Jong Il and ended with a new song for his son: "We Will Defend General Kim Jong Un at the Risk of Our Lives."

Kim Jong Il ruled with an iron fist for 17 years, a period that included a famine in the 1990s that killed hundreds of thousands of people and protracted tensions over the nation's drive to build nuclear weapons.

Food shortages persist in North Korea and relations with South Korea are at their lowest point in years. However since Kim's death, expressions of mourning and adoration have been common in Pyongyang.

At Kim Il Sung Square, the main plaza in the capital, North Koreans bowed and laid flowers, including red "kimjongilia" begonias, at a portrait of Kim Jong Il hanging on the Grand People's Study House.

Kim Jong Il's death halted discussions between Pyongyang and Washington on much-needed food aid in exchange for nuclear disarmament. North Korea has tested two atomic devices since 2006.

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North Korea Commemorates The 70th Birthday Kim Jong Il

North Korea Commemorates The 70th Birthday Kim Jong Il

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North Korean new leader Kim Jong Un claps as he reviews a parade of thousands of soldiers who vowed to protect him with their lives as North Korea commemorated the 70th birthday of his late father Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)